Signing this experienced ace could turn out to be a big mistake by Moyes’ West Ham

West Ham supporters have been drowning their sorrows in the Transfer Tavern in the last few days after seeing their team go down 3-1 at fellow Premier League strugglers Brighton on Saturday, thus seeing their six-match unbeaten league run come to an end.

David Moyes’ men went into their clash on the South Coast having won two and drawn the other four of their preceding six league matches, a run of form which put some distance between themselves and the division’s bottom three. However, the East London outfit slipped just three points clear of the relegation zone on Saturday as goals from Glenn Murray, Jose Izquierdo, and Pascal Gross sealed a routine victory for Chris Hughton’s side, who moved level on points with the Hammers in the Premier League table.

Subsequently, there have been many frustrated West Ham fans in the Tavern in recent times, several of whom are hoping that Saturday’s display was nothing more than a blip, and that normal service will be resumed in their crucial clash against Watford at the London Stadium this weekend.

In the meantime though, there has been plenty for our resident Hammers supporters to get their teeth into, not least the official news that the club have signed former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.

And while the 36-year-old has plenty of experience in the top-flight, having won five Premier League titles with Manchester United in the past, securing a deal for the full-back could turn out to be one of West Ham’s biggest mistakes in a while.

Ultimately, the Hammers backline is already an aging one, with centre-backs Jose Fonte and James Collins 34, Pablo Zabaleta 33, and Winston Reid and Angelo Ogbonna both 29.

And experience doesn’t appear to be working brilliantly for the Hammers this term given they’ve conceded 46 goals in their 26 Premier League matches – more than the vast majority of their relegation rivals.

So will adding a 36-year-old full-back, who played his best football in this league many years ago now, really make a big difference to the Hammers backline? Doubtful.

And while the Frenchman is vastly experienced, having played over 700 club games and 81 international matches, not much of that experience has been in a relegation battle – he’s played most of his football at the top end of the league.

And experience in and around the bottom, being able to deal with not winning every week, will surely play a huge part in West Ham’s survival bid in the second half of the season – Evra doesn’t have much, if any, of that.

And landing Evra is only going to give Hammers fans further cause for frustration, as the 36-year-old is hardly a progressive signing for a club with European ambitions in their new stadium.

So while the left-back has enjoyed an excellent career and won many titles, he’s surely not the player West Ham are after as they seek to avoid Premier League relegation.

As such, landing the former international could turn out to be a big mistake by the Hammers hierarchy.